It's all just a bunch of ‘Nunsense'
A West Otago school teacher is taking her first shot at directing grown-ups in the upcoming production of black-comedy musical Nunsense.
Blue Mountain College teacher Marné Hendricks said she chose the 1985 musical for her directorial debut with West Otago Theatrical for its relatively small cast and because she had seen it done before.
She said she was musical director for a production of Nunsense previously, from behind the scenes she saw what she would have done differently were she sat in the chair.
"That was were I got my vision," she said.
The show opens June 21 at the MLT Community Theatre in Tapanui, with a cast of 12.
There are five leads playing nuns and seven supporting, also mostly nuns, bar one father.
The story begins when the lead nuns find out their chef has accidentally poisoned the other 52 residents of their convent with a tainted vichysoisse.
The nuns then scramble to come up with the funds for the 52 burials and a musical fundraiser with hilarity ensues.
"From the first line you're going to be laughing," Ms Hendricks said.
Forty years on from, Dan Goggin's original run of the show, West Otago's will be the "mega-musical version", as published in 2011.
This version was a remake of the original by the same author featuring additional songs, lines and characters.
This is Ms Hendricks' first time directing a "main show", as she calls it, outside of school and she said she was finding directing adults very different than directing students.
At school, she said she simply told the children what to do, but in this production she wanted the actors to develop their own character and have more freedom, while still maintaining her authority as the director.
The show is being choreographed by last year's Mary Poppins, Kayla Wilcox, who is taking time out of her own performing schedule to teach the tap-dancing nuns.
Ms Hendricks said the production had been lucky to rehearse in the theatre, and everything was on track for next month's opening.
The sets were also being worked on, she said, but there would be "no spoilers" about what they looked like, as they contained a twist integral to her take on the show.
Tickets for the show are available online at iTicket or at Ideal Print in Tapanui.
ella.scott-fleming@alliedpress.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
26-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Cloister politics, talent show mix
What do you call 52 food-poisoned nuns? For the surviving Little Sisters of Hoboken, they are the ideal absolution for a song-and-dance extravaganza-fundraiser running right now — courtesy of West Otago Theatrical Society's Nunsense — the Mega Musical. Tapanui's MLT Community Theatre knows no fourth wall as the family audience find themselves in the penguin house, laughing along with the unconventional convent-comedy cross of cloister politics and talent show. Helen Schmidt's rush-huffing, former trapeze-artist, Irish Mother-Superior delivers a knockout brogue for the two-hour show, seeing her own stories as she seeks out and engages her wide-eyed audience. The brawling Brooklyn drawl of Balclutha's Liv Butler punctuates her wimple impressions and craving for fame, before bursting in strident song, matched elsewhere by the chirrupping sweet soprano of Taitum Shawe's cutely clueless Sister Amnesia. Having rehearsed since February, the whole choir backed by Father Virgil and his chorus cast show off their work habits, with tight co-ordination through toe-tapping hilarity, maybe best exemplified by Val Weatherburn's Sister Leo, ballerina of the absurd, somehow fusing toe-point daintiness with the panic of botulism. "I've really enjoyed watching the development of the ladies from first reading to final rehearsal," director and choreographer Marne Hendriks said. "None of the ladies have ever played a lead before, so Nunsense has been ideal to get so many in the limelight in one show." Originating as a line of greeting cards, author Dan Goggin expanded his concept into a cabaret show and full-length musical that opened off-broadway in 1985 to spectacular success, spawning six sequels. Audiences flocked to Nunsense in Tapanui last opening-weekend, and with the good word spread, expect a full congregation for the final four shows running tonight, Friday and Saturday's matinee and evening closer. From solo stand-up to the chipper clicking of co-choreographer Kayla Wilcox's tapdance crescendo — led to glory by Kim McKechie's wise-cracking Sister Hubert — Nunsense delivereth gasps and laughs enough to raise the dead — or at least raise funds enough to get them out of the freezer ...
Otago Daily Times
24-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Nun means fun in latest production
The Nunsense cast perform a preview show at the MLT Community Theatre in Tapanui last week. Photo: Ella Scott-Fleming Get ready for naughty, tap-dancing nuns as the West Otago Theatrical Society's latest production premieres this week, with back-to-back musical numbers and convent humour in between. Nunsense: The MEGA Musical Version runs until June 28, and The Ensign caught a preview showing last week. The story begins when the lead nuns discover their chef has accidentally poisoned the other 52 residents of their convent with a tainted vichyssoise. The nuns, and one priest, then scramble to come up with the funds for the burials and a musical fundraiser with hilarity ensues. The song-and-dance numbers showcase the talents of the amateur cast with several standout performances. As Sister Hubert, second in-charge to Helen Schmidt's Mother Superior, Kim McKechie shows off her vocal talents as well as comedic timing. Ms McKechie said she was quite surprised to be playing the role, but enjoyed exploring her character's cheeky side. "She's not the nun-iest of nuns, that one, she's a little bit boisterous at times," she said. The show features some crowd interaction, particularly during the intermission, where Ms McKechie kept the audience entertained. "So often there's that barrier with the lights, and you're on the other side and they're on that side," she said. "It really makes it feel like the nuns are really out there putting on a show for the community," she said. Another standout was Olivia Butler, who plays the Brooklyn-born Sister Robert Anne, and whose powerful voice shone through during the musical numbers. Ms Butler caught the theatre bug 14 years ago when she was 11, first playing a munchkin for the society's production of The Wizard of Oz. She has been performing with the society ever since and has also entered the Milton A&P Show's talent competition with her singing. In between numbers, the show boasts convent-based gags and frisky humour, poking light-hearted fun at the institution. "God doesn't love ugly," Sister Hubert says at one point. Ms Schmidt's Irish accent and grumpy act as Mother Superior was very convincing as well as Taitum Shawe's lead role as Sister Amnesia. This is Ms Shawe's second role with the society and she said she was grateful for the direction team for giving her the chance. Not being too fond of the spotlight in the past, some of Ms Shawe's shyness lends itself to the airy role of the the aptly named Sister Amnesia. Tickets for the show are available online at iTicket or at Ideal Print in Tapanui.
Otago Daily Times
13-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
It's all just a bunch of ‘Nunsense'
In the director's chair for West Otago Theatrical's upcoming production of "Nunsense" is Marné Hendricks. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A West Otago school teacher is taking her first shot at directing grown-ups in the upcoming production of black-comedy musical Nunsense. Blue Mountain College teacher Marné Hendricks said she chose the 1985 musical for her directorial debut with West Otago Theatrical for its relatively small cast and because she had seen it done before. She said she was musical director for a production of Nunsense previously, from behind the scenes she saw what she would have done differently were she sat in the chair. "That was were I got my vision," she said. The show opens June 21 at the MLT Community Theatre in Tapanui, with a cast of 12. There are five leads playing nuns and seven supporting, also mostly nuns, bar one father. The story begins when the lead nuns find out their chef has accidentally poisoned the other 52 residents of their convent with a tainted vichysoisse. The nuns then scramble to come up with the funds for the 52 burials and a musical fundraiser with hilarity ensues. "From the first line you're going to be laughing," Ms Hendricks said. Forty years on from, Dan Goggin's original run of the show, West Otago's will be the "mega-musical version", as published in 2011. This version was a remake of the original by the same author featuring additional songs, lines and characters. This is Ms Hendricks' first time directing a "main show", as she calls it, outside of school and she said she was finding directing adults very different than directing students. At school, she said she simply told the children what to do, but in this production she wanted the actors to develop their own character and have more freedom, while still maintaining her authority as the director. The show is being choreographed by last year's Mary Poppins, Kayla Wilcox, who is taking time out of her own performing schedule to teach the tap-dancing nuns. Ms Hendricks said the production had been lucky to rehearse in the theatre, and everything was on track for next month's opening. The sets were also being worked on, she said, but there would be "no spoilers" about what they looked like, as they contained a twist integral to her take on the show. Tickets for the show are available online at iTicket or at Ideal Print in Tapanui.
